Customer Quality Engineer (1706762)      $80k – $105k per year

Burlington, WA

Full Time; Direct Hire

Relocation Assistance Available

Summary of Position

We are seeking a Customer Quality Engineer to lead customer-focused quality assurance initiatives. This role ensures high levels of customer satisfaction through timely root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement. The position serves as the primary contact for customer quality concerns, bridging production, engineering, and sales. Responsibilities include overseeing Return Material Authorization (RMA) and Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA) processes and ensuring consistency across functions.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as the main site-level liaison for customer quality issues, including RMA investigations, root cause analysis, and communication with Sales and Engineering teams.
• Analyze warranty claims, audit findings, and quality performance metrics to identify trends.
• Supervise and guide a team of quality technicians or engineers focused on finished product, audits, customer requirements, and outgoing quality.
• Share regular reports of customer quality performance, scorecards, KPIs, inspection results, and process monitoring with the site team.
• Implement and maintain customer quality processes aligned with corporate standards (e.g., RMA, RCCA, Apollo, A3, PDCA).
• Monitor and drive improvements in customer complaint resolution time, RMA cycle time, and customer satisfaction.
• Lead internal cross-functional teams to resolve customer-reported issues, identify systemic root causes, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Initiate the revision process and engineer solutions using tools such as DFMEA, PFMEA, control plans to improve quality assurance.
• Maintain and improve systems for outgoing inspection, product traceability, and data analysis (SPC, Pareto, etc.).
• Champion lessons learned from customer feedback across departments to drive product and process improvements.
• Prepare and present customer-facing quality reports and metrics.
• Support and guide the implementation of Quality Management Systems (QMS) related to outgoing product and customer requirements.
• Foster a culture of quality, customer focus, and continuous improvement through coaching, process audits, and team engagement.
• Collaborate with Product Engineering, Manufacturing, and IT to streamline quality dashboards and VOC tracking tools.
• Willingness and ability to travel based on customer need; up to but not limited to 30%.

Qualifications & Skills

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives with a balance of technical expertise and leadership capability.
• Ability to interpret and understand regulatory and customer requirements.
• Excellent communication skills for presenting technical information to internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong root cause analysis and problem-solving abilities (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone).
• Proven ability to lead quality investigations and communicate findings clearly.
• Proficient in statistical process control and analysis (SPC, Minitab, Excel).
• Strong understanding of statistical analysis and hypothesis testing.
• Proficient in PowerPoint.
• Effective time management and multitasking in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication, conflict resolution, and leadership skills.
• Working knowledge of QMS (ISO 9001 or equivalent), FMEA, and CAPA.
• Ability to collaborate across functions (Engineering, Sales, Operations, IT).

Traits

• Analytical thinking.
• Detail-oriented and organized with a sense of urgency.
• High sense of follow-through and highly action-oriented.
• Customer-centric mindset with a passion for product excellence.
• A team player who builds trust and seeks continuous improvement.
• Strong work ethic and ownership mentality.
• Strong communication skills at all levels.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Quality, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years in Quality Assurance, Customer Experience, or Customer Quality roles in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• 1+ years in a supervisory or leadership position.
• Experience with inline inspection systems and methodologies.
• Strong public relations and customer-facing experience, particularly in managing quality concerns and building client trust.
• Quality Engineer Certification.
• Green Belt (or higher) Certification.
• Certified Lead Auditor experience required.
• Experience in solar/PV manufacturing preferred.

Compensation and Benefits

• $80,000 - $105,000/yearly
• Paid Time Off (vacation, sick, and holiday)
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance Plans
• Health Savings Account option
• Supplemental/Voluntary Insurance Plans
• Employee Assistance Program
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Employee Recognition Programs
• Employee PV Panel Purchase Program

Upon Applying:

You’ll likely receive a chatbot with basic questions, then upon receiving your timely answers it’s possible that you’ll receive additional outreach of emails, texts and/or telephone calls from our recruiting firm if you’re being considered for this or another similar position.  Upon their recommendations after having discussed the position with you, it can lead to phone, virtual, and face-to-face conversations, and interviews with hiring managers at the company.

If the job description, location, and compensation, align with your qualifications, we encourage you to apply. 

To explore additional opportunities, visit our job board: confidentsearchconsultants.com 

Confident Search Consultants, a division of Confident Staffing, specializes in connecting engineers and qualified professionals with exceptional career opportunities across the United States.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Employees and applicants are provided a full and fair opportunity for employment, career advancement, and access to programs without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), sex, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, or parental status, and will not be discriminated against for any other legally protected group or status.